A gourmet Greek salad, a whole lot fancier than your average diner favorite. To tone it down a notch you can use garbanzo beans and feta cheese. For uber traditionalists you can substitute cuttlefish or grilled octopus for the squid. Whatever you do, do not cut out the Zatar element. It is very easy to…
Category: Main Dishes
Broiled trout with Thai green curry
I’m not usually a big fan of store-bought sauces, but Thai and True made right here in Oregon has some delicious products. I use their curry pastes as an accent to my Thai inspired meals. This recipe calls for green curry paste, which can also be made fairly easily from scratch if you have access…
Seafood pizza
This seafood pizza arose out of necessity and while it seems exotic, it just hinges on a few fresh ingredients. Purchased clam dip works for this recipe but you can even make it yourself quite easily. They generally use fairly standard ingredients that you would have around the house anyway, just add clams. While the…
Late night noodles
This recipe mimics the type of sub-par Chinese food available after 2:00 AM in some cities. At that time, culinary rules succumb to the mandates of filling, fast and satisfying. This dish fits all bills and serves as a comfort food for those of us who nostalgically crave such things. Though not ‘fast’ by many…
Oyster relish
The ingredients you would use to dress a traditional potato salad pair wonderfully with fried oysters. Serve either as an appetizer or main dish. 1 hard boiled egg 1 celery stalk 1T white onion 1 pickle Mayo to taste Finely chop up all solid ingredients or puree in a food processor. Add enough mayo to…
Fresh pasta
I haven’t purchased string pasta in years. The taste, quality and health benefits of fresh pasta amply compensate for the effort it takes to make. Of course I rarely make pasta for more than 3-4 people and any more servings require exponential work so those feeding a family of 6 may feel differently. To properly…
Inverted winter squash ravioli
A heartier yet potentially healthier dish than the winter squash ravioli restaurant favorite which involves ravioli stuffed with a little bit of squash and served with a stick of browned butter to act as a sauce. To make a lighter cheese ravioli, mix 1 ½ c part-skim ricotta cheese with ¼. Parmesan to make the…
‘Indonesian’ cabbage rolls
I make no claim of authenticity with this recipe. It was created as a vehicle to combine five Indonesian recipes in one. Indonesian meals often consist of a variety of small dishes while American families often prefer one big thing. This is that thing. 1 cabbage Vegetable oil 3 tomatoes 3 jalapenos 10 shallots ½ a…
Salmon burgers
The similarities to the classic smoked salmon preparation are not a coincidence. Serve this pescatarian pleaser as a great substitute for appetizer meatballs or hamburgers. The key is to cut the salmon into small dice. Never puree the salmon in a food processor no matter what the recipe says. Cutting it into small chunks preserves the…
Hot and sweet shrimp
Serve these hot and sweet shrimp as either as an appetizer or a light but satisfying meal. If preparing as an appetizer, pay more attention to the size of the shrimp you use and how you cut the fruit and jalapeno, as you will want them both uniform and small enough to fit into one…